There is something about the much-lauded Hero’s Journey that has been a little bitter on my tongue lately. It pains me to write this as a Joseph Campbell devotee, but I have a hunch that we simply don’t need heroes right now, and instead the world needs to hear more about our heroines.

Knowledge may be power, but wisdom is wealth. It’s experiential self-knowledge that accrues for a lifetime like an annuity that keeps paying you. Given the value of wisdom, it’s shocking we have so few ways to define and cultivate it.

When it comes to awe, I define it as a moment when the jaded heart gets a jump-start from the extraordinary. As a new writer/documentary filmmaker, I am a seeker and huge fan of wonder in every form. And yet, as the world shut down this past year, I struggled to find anything to awe, even on my good days.

Some of you are familiar with Dan Buettner and his series of bestsellers, starting with "The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest."

I’m either an idiot or a visionary, depending on who you listen to. I’ve made my share of mistakes and some of them whoppers.

Ever since I heard about the U-Curve of Happiness, I was intrigued by it. Yes, my low point in life matched the nadir of their social science research: mid-to-later 40’s. And, yes, my fifties have been my favorite decade. But is this graph below truly accurate? Are we happiest in life at age 98?

Are you up for a little workshop exercise (best-suited for those 60+, although anyone could try this)? This exercise is designed to help you identify what you’re looking for from a companion later in your life.

I’m not sure whether I vacated my old life or whether it vacated me ... but either way, I find myself here in this weird liminal space... betwixt and between two chapters of life, but not properly belonging in either.

Many of our Sabbatical Sessions guests ask for time alone with me and my co-founders, Jeff and Christine. I often recommend a walk and talk, and, I guess, I’ve earned a bit of a reputation for being a "zippy Chippy."

This is such a foundational question, especially when you’re sitting on a Baja beach surrounded by fellow mid-lifers. Once you’ve taken yourself off the habitual treadmill (aka, the "hedonic treadmill"), you start to notice things that were previously just wallpaper in your life.